Just sayin…
A friend asked me and I didn’t know why they couldn’t look the same either
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Fair play to Triumph I reckon when you consider the amount of red tape and EU shite they have to conform to when building bikes. They’ve done a decent job of hiding the water cooling, catalytic converter and electronics and god knows what else. For the amount of miles I ride, give me the modern one. For a garage queen, give me the old! I might be a bit biased though since I’m buying that exact bike 
Radiator, hoses, Airbox, electronic gadgetry, fuel pump in tank, the trend for fatter tyres, more weight = beefing up everything in the chassis.
Honestly it looks out of ballance. The bottom half is bulky and the top is anorexic. Let vintage be vintage, adds to its appeal. Now if we’re talking about cars, we truely have went backwards!
Thats why i chose to buy an earlier air cooled T100, still porky compared to the original but closer in looks
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Needs a kicker…
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100% correct
Prefer the older bike any day but a pre unit even better still.
If only my 1979 T140 was as reliable as my 2013 T100.
And there is the thing, reliability.
Can you fix it when a light comes on the dashboard? Let’s see how many of them are still around in 50 years. 
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No but i can check the code and delete it or just ignore it 
In 50 years it will be old technology and easily replaced, like 50 year old technology is today. Don’t get me wrong, I love classics and I wish I had the knowledge to rebuild and fettle them. It would be very nice indeed to have something sitting in the shed for tinkering and short journeys. Couldn’t live without morden machines though for big miles and touring.
One day I’ll write the saga of my T140 and why I should have bought the XS650 in the first place.
I went from South Wales to the toe of Italy on a 40 year old Italian 350 and I’d do it again no problem. My brand new T140 broke down 36 miles after leaving the showroom and many times after in the following 2 years, the late Meriden bikes were absolutely shit imop.
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@PatW there are many vintage and oldest riders who swear by their bikes reliability. And you cannot fault them for it. I also know many who own older machines who are continually having to repair them, spending more time with a spanner than riding. There is no doubt in my mind that riding a modern bike is confidence inspiring that you will continue to make it to your destination. So as ever you pay your money and you take your chance, old or new it is up to you.
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I’ve had both.
You can still get a lemon, old or new.
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Yeah, the T140 was in a box of lemons 